Finite groups with an automorphism of large order (Q2360385)

The paper addresses the question of the influence of the order of an automorphism of a finite group \(G\) on the structure of \(G\). The assumption is that \(G\) has an automorphism of order at least \(\varepsilon | G|\), with \(\varepsilon \in (0, 1)\). It is shown that for \(\varepsilon>\frac{1}{2}\, G\) is abelian and also that if \(\varepsilon > \frac{1}{10}\) then \(G\) is solvable. If \(R(G)\) denotes the solvable radical of \(G\), the general assumption mentioned above implies that \(|G/R(G)|\leq {\varepsilon}^{-1.78}\). These impressive results are obtained using bijective affine maps, finding upper bounds for element orders in wreath products, dealing with semisimple and then simple groups. Another notable general result is Theorem 5.2.5, whose consequence is that the maximum order of an element of the holomorph \(\mathrm{Hol}(G)\) of \(G\) is less than or equal to \(G\). The use of the CFSG seems unavoidable in these kind of questions and that makes the proofs quite technical at times.